About

$8,100

pledged of $6,000 goal

113

backers

AcadeCon 2018

AcadeCon is a 3-day gaming convention at the Dayton Convention Center, in Dayton, Ohio, on the weekend of November 9th – 11th, 2018.

We at The RPG Academy podcast have had the extreme good fortune of building a community of wonderful gamers that listen to our podcast and want to play games with us. More than anything, we thrive on interacting with our listeners and fans. This is the true purpose of AcadeCon. In addition to playing games with friends, both old and new, AcadeCon offers almost unprecedented access to some amazing RPG designers, authors, and some of your favorite podcasting personalities. At AcadeCon, these people are there to have fun and play games, just like you. Join into one of their events and don’t be surprised if they join into one of yours!

If you’re still not convinced that AcadeCon is the place for you, please consider our motto: Gaming with friends, old and new!

If that sounds like something you’d like to support then this is the place for you. Please be aware - other than the limited number of VIP badges -we are not selling any actual badges through this project. We will be using another on-line service to sell the badges later in the year.

In a perfect world we would move all of AcadeCon's sales/fundraising to this platform, and that's the plan - but we still need money for deposits and that's what this project is for. We can use this platform to raise the funds we need for those deposits and marketing materials now and open badge sales much closer to the event.

Thank you for checking out our Kickstarter and we hope to see you in November!

What's AcadeCon all about?

AcadeCon is specifically designed to be a smaller, non-traditional convention. We are not trying to (nor do we want to) compete with or replace the huge conventions that attract a national audience. At our convention, you're going to get access to some of the most amazing GMs and players from all over, a better chance to play in the games you want, the opportunity to spend time and game with special guests, and time to hang out with some of the best gamers in the world—the fans of our show!

Tables of Gamers, AcadeCon 2016

Whether you are one of our listeners, are interested in meeting and playing with some of our special guests, or just found us by accident, we hope you'll consider donating to the cause.

What a picture. Rich Baker running a game, James D'Amato walking by and Jim McClure holding court.

AcadeCon 2018 is our sixth annual gaming convention. We've hosted five previous successful cons (the first two were invite-only due to space limitations). Our third year was our first foray into a public event, and our success led us to look for a larger and lasting home with the Dayton Convention center with this being our 3rd year at this location.

Each year we've grown and our goal for 2018 is 700 people. With your help, we can get there and then some.

OTHER SUPER COOL THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING

ARTEMIS Space Bridge Simulator

Our inner sci-fi nerds are insanely happy to have this chance to pull on those costumes that we don't tell anyone about and log some time on the Artemis Space Bridge Simulator. Sponsored by Game Base 7, this is going to one of the highlights of the convention. Registration information for these games will be included in the gaming schedule when it is released after the campaign ends. Unlike many conventions that host a simulator, ours does not cost extra. It's all included in your badge—though we won't be upset if you give them a donation or purchase some of their wares in exchange for their presence at AcadeCon.

Double Exposure Envoy Program

Sponsored by Double Exposure, the Envoy program is unique and awesome! The Double Exposure team will provide us with about 25 brand-new games that you can try out during AcadeCon. Every time you play a demo, you are entered into a drawing to win that game! You can play the same game multiple times to get a better chance at winning something you really enjoy or play them all and see if Lady Luck is smiling on you.

Open Game Library:

all badge holders are able to check out any of our game library games free of charge (with ID) during our regular event hours.

Code of Conduct & Terms of Service.

AcadeCon is an inclusive gaming event open to gamers off all types. Every attendee will be subject to our Code of Conduct and Terms of Service.

Thank you for taking a look at our campaign. We truly hope you'll consider supporting us now and grabbing a badge later to come out to play games with us in November.

Risks and challenges

At this point, the biggest risk is that we don't fund, in which case the event does not happen. The facility costs this year are more expensive
than last year, but we need the room if we are to continue to grow. If we can't make it to our minimal funding we can't afford to put on the show. As long as we fund, only a catastrophe would stop the event from happening.

Beyond that, we are having the event in southern Ohio in November. We can't control the weather so there may be a chance that people coming from out of town may have difficulty getting there or back. We are not responsible for any travel arrangements, costs, or difficulties.

This is our 6th year running AcadeCon and 4th as a public event. We know we can put on a fun show if we have enough people that are wiling to join us.

Support

Select this reward

Pledge US$ 1 or more
About US$ 1.00

Friend of the Show

FRIEND OF THE SHOW
You can donate any amount of $1 or more at this level. This is your way of being awesome and giving us a helping hand. Your reward is the feeling of satisfaction you get from knowing that you've helped our campaign succeed. You will have our unending gratitude, plus an unlimited number of free high-fives at every opportunity.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 5 or more
About US$ 5

Game Library Donations

Our AcadeCon Game Library is a popular and well used part of what makes AcadeCon AcadeCon, but mostly the game library is the personal games of the Faculty. And while we have made an effort to buy new games to fill out the library we still have need for more. At this level you are donating an amount of money to cover the purchase of a specific game for our library. It can be one we desperately need or maybe one of your favorites that you want to share. In exchange for this donation we will affix a donation label inside the game's case/cover/lid stating that the game was donated by you and will include a short personal msg as well, if you wish.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 25 or more
About US$ 25

Table Sponsor

TABLE SPONSOR

This is a donation only level. You're not asking for, nor will you receive, any of the other listed rewards under pledges or stretch goals.

We will have around 100 tables dedicated to gaming. At this level, you are sponsoring one (1) of those tables for the duration of the convention. Your artwork, logo, website, name, or anything else you'd like (acceptable to a general audience and subject to our approval) will be featured on that table for the duration of the event. In addition, we will list your name as a sponsor in our eProgram guide.

This is perfect for podcasts, websites, local game shops, independent designers, authors, and anyone else wishing to advertise to a focused group of gamers.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 90 or more
About US$ 90

VIP Badge

VIP CONVENTION BADGE

PLEASE do not pledge at this level if you are not planning to attend the convention.

Due to limited quantities and high demand, we can not allow multiple VIP badges to be pledged under one account (over pledging). If you need/want multiple VIP badges, you'll need to use a different account for each one.

At this level, you are purchasing a VIP 3-day convention badge.

NOTE: please don’t over pledge for more than one VIP badge. Due to limited availability and high demand, each VIP badge must be pledged for on a unique account.

You'll get your 3-day badge (pick up on site) and 5 McGuffins.

As a VIP, you will be given early access to game registration. With our loaded guest list, there will be some high-demand games. While there are no guarantees, your best bet to get into the games you want is to register early.

You will also be invited to our Thursday night Pre-Con VIP mixer including a meet-and-greet social gathering with The RPG Academy Faculty, Network Associates, and Special Guests.

Lastly, we have started a new post-con tradition of a Faculty Retreat where those of us who run the convention can rest, relax, and play some games. As a VIP, you will also be invited to join us. We don't cover any travel or lodging expenses, but you get an invite to what is otherwise a private gaming weekend.

If you would like an exclusive Kickstarter Backer t-shirt, add $18/$20 to your pledge (XXL and XXXL are $20, any other size is $18. You can order Men or Women's cut).

This shirt will have a unique logo only available to Kickstarter backers.

Pledge US$ 150 or more
About US$ 150

Corporate Sponsorship w/ 2 badges

This is a donation-only level. You're not asking for, nor will you receive, any of the other listed rewards under pledges or stretch goals.

At this level, you will be given two (2) Table Topper spots. We will have around 100 tables dedicated to gaming. At this level, you are sponsoring two (2) of those tables for the duration of the Convention. Your artwork, logo, website, name, or anything else you'd like (acceptable to a general audience and subject to our approval) will be featured on that table for the duration of the event. In addition, we will list your name as a sponsor in our eProgram guide and/or printed guide - based on funding levels.

This is perfect for podcasts, websites, local game shops, independent designers, authors, and anyone else wishing to advertise to a focused group of gamers.

In addition, you will be sponsoring two (2) episodes of our podcast. You will receive a personal shout out or be allowed to promote your own store/site/business.

Your logo will also be featured on our AcadeCon 2018 banner, which will be displayed at our registration desk.

In addition to the other rewards at this level, you'll also receive two complimentary 3-day badges which you can use for yourself or give away however you see fit (whoever uses the badges will need to register with us).

If you are interested in sponsoring our event beyond this level, please contact us directly. We will work out the details of what your sponsorship will look like and determine the pledge level for that. You could provide branded items for every attendee (such as lanyards), sponsor 'areas' of the convention (including our new separate Panel Room and Podcast Studio Rooms), or provide some other kind of sponsorship. We are open to discussing the various ways you can get a profitable return on your sponsorship.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 200 or more
About US$ 200

Room Sponsor

ROOM SPONSOR

AcadeCon is growing. This will be our 6th Acadecon, each having grown significantly over the last and we are expecting the same for this year.

As we grow, so does our need for more space for more gaming, panels, special events, etc. But those extra side rooms add up quick. Each of the side rooms we've rented in the past cost approx. $200 per day of use.

At this level you are covering the cost of one of those rooms per day (200 for each day). If you cover a room we will make a sign with your name/info as a way to identify the room. If you cover a room for two or more days (so $400+) we'll print up a banner for the room with your name/logo.